2017 Altos las Hormigas Malbec Classíco

2017 Altos las Hormigas Malbec Classíco


Vintage: 2017
Region: Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
Winery: Altos las Hormigas
Varieties: Malbec
Price: $11
Rating: 92 Points
My Rating: 90 Points

The Review: Man, it's been a while! And how about this blog make its triumphant return with some hot takes and a real test of my objectivity? See today's review comes with a touch of controversy- I'm a bit of a known Malbec hater... But it is my duty as a hobby wine critic/not-hobby winemaker to try to stifle my opinions as a consumer and look at the wine with as much objectivity as I can.

Of all the Malbecs I've had (not many), this is one that I'll put myself behind. Altos Las Hormigas is a collaboration between two legends in the wine industry- Alberto Antonini and Pedro Parra. The winery aims to express the natural characteristics (weather, climate, soil, etc.-- the French use the obnoxious & overused word "Terroir"), so you end up getting a really fresh and vibrant expression of Malbec. Also, extra care is taken to not overwhelm any subtleties in the wine, so little to no oak is used in the winemaking process, leaving a very clean wine.

The 2017 Altos Las Hormigas Malbec Classico is the "entry-level" release of the winery. For $11, it's an absolute steal with the fingerprints of Antonini and Parra on it. It smells very bright- with lots of red fruits and berry, but with a little violet and some mocha. The taste is surprisingly fresh, and again, bright red fruits take center stage. Strawberry, cranberry, cherry, and some plum are the main fruit notes. There is also a nice bit of herbaceousness and earthiness. Overall, this wine is really driven by minerality. There's a really clean zip of chalk that adds a nice extra dimension. My only (objective) negative comment is that some sulfur slips through, which is quite common in South American wines.


Now, don't ask me why I don't like Malbec. I know that everything I just described sounds good. I don't have a good answer aside from, "I don't like how it tastes." But I can appreciate it nonetheless. It's a super versatile grape that goes with a million different types of food, is very expressive, and comes from Argentina where some of the best value wines in the world are being made right now. It's also a nice little transition wine to some warmer weather. It's fruity and tight, yet still pretty robust. So, as we move into Spring, bust out some Malbec... unless you're me... in which case drink anything else.


drink what you like,
db

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